RCM Level 8 Piano Repertoire Guide
April 10, 2025 by Taras (Terry) Babyuk
Introduction
Planning to take your RCM Level 8 Practical Piano Exam? You're in the right place! In this post, you will learn how the Repertoire section is graded, view the full list of pieces to choose from, and pick up a few helpful tips to get you ready for this portion of the exam.
Source: RCM Celebration Series books, 2022 Edition (latest edition)
How Level 8 Piano Repertoire Is Graded
At this level, students must perform four Repertoire pieces - one from each list: A, B, C and D. Each memorized piece earns an additional 1.5 marks. Up to 56 out of 100 total marks can be earned for the Repertoire section, making it the most heavily weighted component of the Level 8 Practical Piano Exam.
Level 8 Piano Repertoire Pieces
Sixth Edition (2022)
List A: Baroque Repertoire
| PIECE | COMPOSER | PAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Invention No. 14 in B flat Major, BWV 785 | Johann Sebastian Bach | 4 |
| Little Prelude in E Major, BWV 937* | Johann Sebastian Bach | 6 |
| Fantasia in D Minor, TWV 33:2 | Georg Philipp Telemann | 8 |
| Courante in G Major | attr. George Frideric Handel | 11 |
| Sonata in F Minor, K 185 | Domenico Scarlatti | 14 |
| Solfeggio in C Minor, Wq 117/2, H 220* | Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach | 16 |
| Gigue en rondeau | Jean-Philippe Rameau | 18 |
| * pieces that were kept from the previous, 2015 edition | ||
List B: Classical Repertoire
| PIECE | COMPOSER | PAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:4 1st Movement | Franz Joseph Haydn | 20 |
| Sonatina in G Major, op. 55, no. 2 3rd Movement | Friedrich Kuhlau | 23 |
| Sonata in C Major, K 545 1st Movement | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | 28 |
| Sonata in G Minor, op. 49, no. 1 1st Movement | Ludwig van Beethoven | 32 |
| Sonata in B flat Major, C 27 | Domenico Cimarosa | 36 |
List C: Romantic Repertoire
| PIECE | COMPOSER | PAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Melodie, op. 4, no. 2 | Fanny Hensel | 40 |
| Song without Words, op. 38, no. 4 | Felix Mendelssohn | 42 |
| Polonaise in C Major, op. 1, no. 2 | Clara Schumann | 44 |
| Waltz in B Minor, op. posth, 69, no. 2 | Frederic Chopin | 46 |
| Prelude in E flat Major, op. 31, no. 1 | Reinhold Gliere | 50 |
| Knecht Ruprecht, op. 68, no. 12 | Robert Schumann | 52 |
| Arabeske | Josephine Lang | 55 |
| Nocturne in B flat Major, H 37 | John Field | 58 |
List D: Post-Romantic, 20th, and 21st Century Repertoire
| PIECE | COMPOSER | PAGE |
|---|---|---|
| The Spruce, op. 75, no. 5 | Jean Sibelius | 61 |
| The Little Shepherd | Claude Debussy | 64 |
| Seven Good-humored Variations on a Ukrainian Folk Song, op. 51, no. 4 | Dmitri Kabalevsky | 66 |
| Through Moanin' Pines | Harry T. Burleigh | 70 |
| Prelude No. 3 | Michael Valenti | 72 |
| Incognito (Jazz Nocturne) | Jason Sifford | 74 |
| Mysterious Summer's Night | Larysa Kuzmenko | 77 |
| Blue Angel | Stephan Chatman | 78 |
| Catching Butterflies | Shande Ding | 80 |
| Tango callejero | Mike Springer | 82 |
| Prelude (Twilight), op. 69 | Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee | 84 |
| Sunshower | Martha Hill Duncan | 86 |
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